Helping Parents and Caregivers in the Fight Against Childhood Obesity Young children acquire their knowledge through direct instruction, modeling, and experiences within their environment (Lanigan, 2010, p. # 369). Children who are obese are known to have lower self-esteem, and a higher risk of becoming drinkers, smokers, and/or socially isolated as they mature. Health concerns such as Cardiovascular Disease; Gall Bladder problems; Hypertension; and Sleep Apnea have all been associated with childhood obesity (Robinson; Geier; Rizzolo; Sedrak, 2011). Teaching portion control, implementing a healthy balanced diet, and adding in daily physical activities can help parents and caregivers in the fight against childhood obesity. Portion control is something that has to be developed from within a person. By introducing and practicing the use of healthy eating habits early in life, parents and caregivers are increasing the opportunities for a child to learn behaviors that can help them to develop a healthy life style. This type of life style can in turn increase the child’s chances of reversing or even preventing obesity. Teaching children to recognize what it feels like in their bodies when they are hungry or what could be called their hunger signals, while encouraging them to eat their food more slowly, and persuading them to stop eating when they feel they have had enough, even though they may still have food left over, are all ways of promoting healthy eating habits in children. The practice and observation of these skills will benefit children in their journey to a healthy life. Creating a healthy balanced diet can be a challenge for families. The convenience of the fast food industry has increased the challenge for families. Most families have parents or caregivers who work long hours and have little down time, causing them to “grab” dinner verses preparing it as was once the norm. In a balanced diet, the...

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...Childhood Obesity: The Role of the Parents
Eng. 122
Professor Clark
October 24, 2010
Childhood Obesity: The Role of the Parents
Introduction:
As childhood obesity continues to rise people begin to look for answers. With the finger of blame pointing vehemently about, many theories have come about as to the possible causes. The food industry is at the top of the list of possible villains. The media has also shared in the blame for making our kids fat and lazy. Technology has even been accused of making everyday living too easy for the children of today. While each of these is a factor to be considered in dealing with childhood obesity, none of them can be said to be the true culprit. No, ultimately the finger of blame comes to rest where many refuse to look, on the parents.
The role that we, as parents, play is bigger than all other factors combined. It is the responsibility of the parent to ensure that children are educated about proper nutrition and developing a healthy lifestyle. It is equally, if not more, important for the parents to be an example that children can follow when it comes to eating and exercise. Because parents play such a critical role in preventing obesity, they should be at the center of efforts to combat it, (Lindsay, Sussner, Kim, 2006). The purpose of...

...Childhood Obesity: The Responsibility of Parents
Although obesity is a very sensitive topic, it is a pressing issue in modern culture, and it is something we cannot ignore. Who is responsible for the health of America? Is it parents, teachers, or is it the responsibility of fast food marketers to properly inform their audience? Often the blame is shifted to other people and to other influences like billboards and commercials, but rarely is the individual held responsible for their health. Lawsuits and legal action try to shift the blame onto fast food restaurants and school cafeterias. Most people feel better if they can blame their poor health on anything other than themselves. Evidence shows that one’s childhood years have a huge impact on the health of the rest of their life, and usually the parents of overweight children are the most eager to shift blame onto fast food, school lunches, or marketing aimed at their children. The reality is that parents are responsible for educating their children on a healthy lifestyle and for showing them how to make the right choices.
In his article Fast Food: Oppression Through Poor Nutrition, Andrea Freeman states that government support for fast food is to blame for America’s obesity problem. He also claims that we must recognize “food oppression as a form of institutionalized inequality that must be acknowledged, addressed,...

...Mollie Kerns
April 11, 2013
COR 120-125
Research Paper
Vermont FightsObesity
In the last 20 years, there has been a substantial increase in obesity in the United States and the rates continue to remain significantly high. More than one-third of U.S. adults (35.7%) and approximately 17% of children are considered obese (Overweight). According to WebMD a person is considered obese when his or her weight is 20% or more above normal weight. The most common consequences of obesity are the health risks associated with it such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol, but there are also social and psychological problems that result from it as well. These social and psychological problems caused by obesity might be even more detrimental to a person than the physical effects associated with it. The levels of stigma rise along with weight, and affect both people's working and social lives. Fifty-two percent of people who fell into the obese or morbidly obese categories believe they have been discriminated against when applying for a job or promotion and about two-fifths of them said they have been socially shunned. In addition, 36 percent said they felt they had been discriminated against when being seated in theaters or restaurants (Gardner). “The reaction of Americans to a fat person, particularly one who is more than 25 percent to 35 percent above the so-called ideal weight, is so intense and so...

...There is a huge and growing concern regarding obesity amongst children in today’s society. It is a widely discussed topic in the United States. Obesity is considered to be one of the most dangerous health issues facing our children. Today childhood obesity is in issue because of the staggering proportions that this disease has reached in the past few years. Certain genetic factors paired with changing lifestyles and culture has produced kids (and adults) who generally not as healthy as people were a few decades ago. The target audiences of my paper are the parents of children between the ages of two years old through nineteen years of age.
According, to the textbook obesity is defined based on measurement of children’s heights and weights growth chart (Sorte, 2011 Pg.74). The number of children who are obese has been increasing at a rapid speed (Sorte, 2011 Pg.15). The number of overweight rate among preschool children has increased from 5% in 1980 to 12.4% in 2006, reaching 31.9% in 2008 among children ages 2 to 9 years (Sorte, 2011 Pg.15). The center for Disease control website states that childhood obesity has both immediate and long term effects on health and well-being. However, understanding that being overweight refers to a person with a body mass that is high compared to others his same height and technically has nothing to do with an individual’s amount of body fat....

...﻿Susan M
Obesity: Is it a choice?
The topic of obesity within the United States, let alone the world, has been a dispute for years. In the United States it has been debated in many levels from controlling what foods restaurants can serve to initiatives within the government driven by presidents, presidential candidates, and even first ladies. There is an overwhelming statement that something needs to be done, but the problem is not what, but how. Many debate that obesity is not an effect of choice but due of genetic make-up. Other’s say that many people do not even get to have a choice and are ultimately doomed to having nothing to eat but processed fatty foods and being overweight. The essays, Can’t Blame the Eater, by David Zinczenko, and Kentucky Town of Manchester Illustrates National Obesity Crisis, by Wil Haygood, both illustrate how people, from adolescent to middle-aged adult, have no option but to eat unhealthily due to the overbearing presence of fast-food restaurants. Instead of blaming the individuals for making unhealthy choices in their diet, they blame the businesses that only provide the food.
The rates of obesity in the United States have caused concern for many people and many organizations. First Lady Michelle Obama founded an organization that specifically targets obesity rates in...

...even modest gains in weight from age 18 to midlife are associatedwith an increase in risk several times greater than that of a person who maintained a stableweight” (Eating Disorders and Obesity). Increased BMI (body mass index) of 23 to 25 hadincreased abnormalities in blood pressure, glucose tolerance, and serum lipids. People who areoverweight may try to present the benefit of less hip fractures and broken bones than people whoare lean (because of more padding), but heart disease and diabetes are far more important anddangerous health risks. There are no benefits to being overweight (Eating Disorders andObesity).Preventing obesity at an early age is very beneficial to people’s health and self-esteem.Parents can prevent their children from becoming obese later in life more than they know. Theyneed to be role models for their children, and set examples of a good lifestyle. Regulating howmuch the child eats is important, especially what they’re eating. Sugar should be cut down, aswell as high-calorie snacks. Limiting time in front of the TV and computer could increase physical activity as well (Weight Management). The article “Obesity” explains that obese adultswhose parents never taught them good eating and health habits have to take care of themselvesand change their lifestyles. Treating obesity is not just about quick weight loss, it is about settingup a lifelong pattern of good choices. “Yo-Yo”...

...﻿10/15/14
Health and Wellness
Term paper
Obesity in children
Obesity is a growing problem with children in the world. Obesity is not an issue that is just United States specific, many countries are dealing with overweight and obese children. “Obesity in children has more than doubled in the past 30 years and it is thought to continue to grow” (Whiteman). With obesity in children on the rise diseases and health issues is also rising. There are two reasons for these rises in obesity, and they are children do not get as much physical activity as they did ten or twenty years ago. Children spend their time in doors playing games, watching TV or roaming the internet instead of outside playing with friends or taking walks. The other reason is children are consuming many more calories and fatty food then the earlier generations did, there was very limited amount of processed foods 30 years ago. The negative effects of obesity are overwhelming. Obesity puts a child at risk of so many issues and illnesses like high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, weak joints, weak lungs, poor blood quality, and many types of cancer. Obese children can also develop difficulties in their social and emotional lives, because they may not like themselves or the way they look of their peers may tease them. Children that are obese tend to have lower self-esteem then not overweight or...

...every seven of these children meeting the criteria for obesity (Better Nutrition 28). Children, like the rest of Americans, are living more and more sedentary life styles. Childhood obesity in school-aged children is rising, and it's the responsibility of the parents to prevent this from happening to their own children.
Much more than an aesthetic issue, childhood obesity is a major health problem. Today, one in five school-age children fulfill the medical definition of obese, weighing 25% more than the ideal for his or her height and age (Spake 40). In the last decade, the incidence of obesity among children ages 6-11 has doubled, and in adolescents it has tripled (Spake 40). A growing wave of obesity among children is helping to fuel a parallel epidemic in the rate of diabetes, especially Type II diabetes, the so-called non-insulin-dependent diabetes (Childhood Obesity). This is a dangerous disease that once struck mostly at middle age. How much of this will a parent ignore before the consequences become real? Diabetes is not the only issue; overweight children may also have greater difficulty with high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, orthopedic problems, heart disease, stroke, sleeping habits, as well as having low self-esteem, and problems with peer relationships (Childhood Obesity). All of these are symptoms that can...